The 7 Footer Fever

If I had to write an NBA horror movie, it would be starring Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, Hasheem Thabeet, Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Eddy Curry, DeSagana Diop, Andrea Bargnani and every NBA scout who ever succumbed to the 7 footer fever. Symptoms are: unealistic expectations, paranoia, unexpected bleeding of the eyes and hallucinations of Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Catch my drift? Ex-player turned ESPN analyst Jalen Rose said it best: ''If you're 7 foot tall, you can get a job playing basketball.'' He's right, but why is it so and why do 7 footers keep failing to meet expectations over an over again? There's a gold rush going on in the NBA. A treasure hunt with a prize that doesn't quite exist : The next great NBA center. In that evanescent pursuit, several teams botched their draft and handicapped their lineups. So let's examine the question : is that extra inch worth eschewing skills?

Why do so many 7 foot players fail?

I believe this is a reality based on the perception and the expectations we have of them. Take Kwame Brown for example. He is a player who's failure to succeed at NBA level is misunderstood. He got drafted at 18 years old, right out of high school. All he did over there was dominate genetically inferior player. It was never hard for him. He never had to do a gut check. It's easy to love something when you're instantly good at it. Thriving against competition and defeating adversity is something else. Brown was drafted and expected to be a savior, but he never really played against quicker or more explosive players in his life.

Other failures are injury-based too. Greg Oden would be the poster boy for that. Here is the thing : the bigger you are, the most pressure you're putting on your knees. Bigs get injured a lot. Oden was drafted first by Portland in 2007, ignoring his already alarming history of knee injuries. He is good when he plays, but he cannot play all that much. If you're 7 foot tall and you cannot play hard because of your injuries, it's a serious problem. If you want a good tell-tale sign of the state of a big's knees, watch him run the floor. If it doesn't look swift and smooth, stay away.

Is it necessary for a center to be 7 foot tall?

No. The extra inch helps in close quarter battles, but athleticism is more important than ever in today's NBA and explosiveness thrumps size. Roy Hibbert is the best NBA center right now and he is 7'2. He is the exception to the rule. His success is based on his smooth footwork, his ability to nplay within himself and the Pacers' amazing player development. The most skilled center would be 6'11 DeMarcus Cousins, who's attitude issues have prevented from thriving to the fullest of his capacities. Defensive stopper Joakim Noah is 6'11 also. Future star Andre Drummond is 6'10, same size at Dwight Howard (although he is rumored to be 6'9).

The list goes on. Of course, great centers under 7 foot are probably easier to find. If I had to pick any center for a team based on his skills in today's NBA, I'd pick Cousins. I'd pick him over a healthy Andrew Bynum. In order to succeed at center, you need to be mobile, resourceful and to be the toughest guys on the block. You need a certain amount of size (I think the shortest centers in today's NBA are 6'7, but have rocket launchers for legs).

What about Joel Embiid?

This is a great question. What about him? Will he be the next Hakeem Olajuwon? He chose his college smartly (Kansas) and is showing signs of life. He has been playing basketball for almost 3 full years only and he is averaging something like 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks a game at collegial level. I'm impressed but will he be able to physically dominate guys like Cousins and Noah? Is he ready mentally for the NBA? Embiid himself has expressed his doubts. He represents an interesting puzzle to whoever is willing to take a chance. I would probably pass unless I had a gaping hole at center position, but he is an intriguing prospect.